


Swordland

by Shadowsfascination



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Chaos Energy, Dorks in Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Magic, Romance, Shadow the Knight, Swordland AU, Swords, Tales, mental struggles, sacred arts, shadamy - Freeform, swordcraft academy, swordfight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:15:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29633817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowsfascination/pseuds/Shadowsfascination
Summary: Shadow, Amy and the others live on a swordsmen academy where Shadow is a high ranked knight and noble. His duty partly is to train students in their swordfight-skills and one of his students is no one other than Amy Rose. They fall for each other unintendedly. They secretly start seeing each other because a romantic relationship between a high-ranked noble and his paige is a huge taboo.Still figuring out how all this relationship-stuff works, they’re caught by someone who blackmails them. Forced to work with this person to help them out, their secret and future is at stake  and a new adventure present itself to them. Will they unravel the mystery of the gemstone and its’ powers while keeping their relationship a secret?
Relationships: Amy Rose & Shadow the Hedgehog, Amy Rose/Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadamy - Relationship
Kudos: 6





	1. The Hayloft

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Headcanon #140](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/765057) by Shadamyheadcanons. 



> I'd like to give my thanks to Shadamyheadcanons on Tumblr for giving me the inspiration with their headcanon #140 to write and draw this. Go check them out. They write awesome headcanons about Shadamy! <3 You can find them here:
> 
> > https://shadamyheadcanons.tumblr.com/
> 
> The Shadamy swordland AU has some illustrations since I draw as well. You can find them below if you're interested:
> 
> > https://shadowsfascination.tumblr.com/post/643021993080438784/swordland-au-masterpost
> 
> > https://www.deviantart.com/shadowsfascination

# Swordland

### Chapter 1 | The Hayloft

There’s a hidden entrance to the hayloft above the stables-building where Shadow used withdraw himself after a day of training his students or intense swordfights. It’s accessed by a ladder, stuffed away in a dark corner of the stables-building. One must know about its' existence to use it or one will not even find it. To keep it like this, Shadow told no one about it, so he’d be left alone, even if he has a pleasant home to go to. His house was located near the central square on the academy and therefore way too noisy for him. Shadow liked the quiet so he could think. He was sensitive to incentives, which could be a blessing and a curse all at once. In addition to the crowdy location of his home, there’d also be the many, many encounters he’d have with young female students who always ‘happened’ to run into him on his way home that he’d rather go without. Notorious for being an excellent swordsman and a noble too, there’d always be female students trying to catch his eye.

When both not intending to engage in nor interested in any romantic affair, he’d also feel extremely awkward not knowing how to let them down easily. He had a reputation of being blunt and did not want to add to it. Especially after he’d been called to the board to explain why there had been gossips around the academy about a romantic involvement with one of his students, Amy Rose.

  
He made clear to the board there was no such thing going on between them and offendedly told them that their presupposition was to be unheard of. He was her superior, she was his trainee. It was unthinkable that he’d become romantically involved with her. Even more so because he was a noble and she was not. No, Shadow had no interest in romance whatsoever. His work as a trainer and duty as a knight was too important to him and he did not let anything distract him from that. And so he returned to his hayloft, alone.

  
Or so it seemed…

  
A cloaked Amy Rose snuck out of the trainees’ dorm in the middle of the night, remaining in the shadows of the academy buildings. When unable to avoid stepping into the range of the torchlights on the streets, she used her special skill to briefly turn invisible and disappeared into the shadows again. No one would catch a glimpse of her. She’d been doing it for about two months now and became more skilled in the art of hiding, blending into the background and admitted to herself that she even enjoyed sneaking around.

  
Checking for the last time to see if the coast was clear, she placed her boots on the spurts of the ladder and carefully climbed up. Once she made it to the stables-building, she was safe. No one would come around at this hour and it was far away from the dorm. And that meant she didn’t have to be quiet anymore. A wave of excitement rushed through her as she stepped further, peaking around one of the wooden support-beams. Her trainer and now secret lover was napping in the hay, a twig of wheat between his lips, armour and sword removed. Even without any of it he was still extremely handsome.

  
“You’re here.”

“Hey you!”

  
Amy felt caught. She kept forgetting how well developed his senses were. A heat gushed to her cheeks.

  
“Did no one see you?”

  
“No. Surprisingly, there wasn’t anyone out there tonight.”

  
Amy stepped in on him, out of the small, faint light that managed to beam into the loft.

  
“Lucky you.”

  
“I am. I get to spend time with you.”

  
She seductively winked at him.

  
“We see each other almost every day. I would say we already spend a lot of time together.”

  
“Yes, but almost never can I do this…”

  
Amy bent over and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Shadow then grasped her wrists and pulled her into him to passionately return her gesture and playfully pulled her over into the stack of hay he laid in. Twigs of straw flew up around them and the old, wooden floors creaked at her landing, slightly startling the horses in the stables beneath them.

  
Cloak and rapier were taken off to be placed near his sword and amour. Besides her room at the dorm and the bathing facility, this was the only place where she’d put her sword away. Even when their district wasn’t engaged in a war currently, there were lots of obscure figures around with bad intentions and she should be able to handle them herself at all times. But not here. She was safe around him and could even pretend to be a damsel in destress if she wanted. She properly sat next to him, being handed a handmade clay cup with fresh water, which was all he could provide her up here. It was unevenly round and was a steal from the dorm-kitchen.

  
“Sadly you cannot. I was called to the board a few days ago.”

  
“What? Why?”

  
“They asked me to explain the apparently present gossips about us being romantically involved. I believe they bought my story, seeing how the apologized for the improper assumption after my offended reaction.”

  
“There’s gossips about us? That’s bad! I cannot imagine who would have caught onto us. We’ve been really careful.”

  
Amy chewed her lip and drew a sorrowfully face, staring at her reflection in the cup.

  
“Beats me.”

“So, what did you tell them?”

  
“I might have raised my voice and angrily scolded them for daring to accuse me of such foul, improper behaviour, you know?” Shadow said with a neutral expression.

  
Amy heaved a sigh.

  
“Plagues, Shadow! You really said that? Oh, who am I kidding? Of course that’s what you said!”

  
“What are you being so dramatic for? It is in fact one of the very few assets that comes with the title of being a noble.”

  
“You’re hopeless. Others will despise you for this kind of behaviour.”

  
“What business do I have with others? Besides, they’re already not very fond of me. I’m an outsider and always will be. Anyway, we have got to be extra cautious from now on. They let me off with a warning, but this is serious.”

  
“Serious, how?”

  
“If they have the slightest proof that something is in fact going on, I’ll be suspended from training students and you’ll…”

  
A long pause followed while Shadow looked away from her.

  
“You’ll be refrained from participating in battles, not allowing you to advance in your training or education. Worst case scenario might be that you’ll even be transferred to another academy.”

  
“Aaargh! That’s so unfair!”

  
Amy intensified the grip on the cup enough to cause a crack in the enamel and angrily muttered about the ways she could scold the board for being this unreasonable. If it weren’t the middle of the night her somewhat impulsive, hot-headed nature might’ve gotten the best of her, storming off to the board to give them a piece of her mind. That was if they’d even let them see her. It wasn’t her place, coming from a lower-rank family. She furiously hated the hierarchy in the world and let out a curse. Shadow then grabbed her face and accidentally squeezed her muzzle a little too hard. Interrupting her many wrath-driven ideas to change the board’s vision, she was now forced to look at him.

  
“I’m telling you now: you are NOT to mingle in this! I forbid it.”

  
“You forbid it?!”

  
Amy broke away from his grip, bewildered and offended by his statement.

  
“Yes, I forbid it. One of the benefits of being both your trainer and your lover. You’ll only make things look more suspicious.”

  
An angry frown appeared on her face.

  
“It’s not okay that they have that much power! I hate it! It shouldn’t matter! It doesn’t matter how big the gap between us is! I don’t understand how you’re not upset about this?!”

  
“Fire and torments, Amy!” Shadow yelled at her. “Just get over it! Both our futures are at stake here! You have great potential to become a fine swordswomen and I’m not just saying that because you’re my trainee.”

  
“So, our career-perspective is all that matters to you?”

  
A sudden cold gushed through his body and Shadow’s face grew pale, leaving his hands to tremble and fists clenched.

  
“How dare you say that to me?!”

  
He whirled around, pushed her down and bent over her. The heart that had eagerly anticipated being with him tonight was now afraid of him for the first time in her life. It cramped inside her chest in fear, but that feeling faded to be replaced with a mixture of compassion and sadness when she caught his gaze.

  
“BLAST, women! You’re the only person I choose to hang out with voluntarily. THE ONLY ONE!”

  
A crack in his voice ended his scream. Startled by his outburst and her own false accusations, mean even in a way, Amy fell quiet. He wasn’t angry. He was afraid! Afraid to lose her. Shadow turned his face away from her, swallowed and bitterly stated:

  
“If that’s what you think of me, you’d better take lea-“

  
Amy leaned in on Shadow, pulling him into her and silenced his doubts with a passionate, yet tender kiss. The hands that were clenched together as fists just a moment ago, opened up and slid under her back to lift her in his arms, holding her closer to his body. Her heartrate changed into a different pace, still rapid, but now driven by the intimate connection between them. She broke away from their kiss, eyes tearing up.

  
“I don’t! At all!”

  
He nodded at her once, closing the remaining distance between them again before she could entirely finished her sentence. He not only locked lips with her once more, but lifted her muzzle with his index-finger to force her gaze upon his. Amy then clasped her hands onto his back, slightly losing touch with reality with every touch. She ran her fingers through his quills in ways that made him shiver, returning his hasty, impatient ways of loving her. Shadow’s lips found their way to the soft lines that formed her jaw, then her neck and softly, heatedly blew in her ear, sending a hot rush through her veins. Abruptly he sat up.

  
“Shadow, wha-“

  
He silenced her at once.

  
His ears then twitched.

_Did he hear something?_

She held her breath. Suddenly the least of background sounds were highly present and she couldn’t differentiate them anymore. Luckily, as a feature of the ultimate lifeform, he was more than qualified to. When he breathed out at last, she followed his lead.

  
“False alarm. I thought I heard something there for a minute.”

  
Already leaning in to pick up where they left, Shadow was stopped by Amy.

“Hey…I’m really sorry about before…”

  
“Just promise me that you’ll stay out of it.”

  
“I’ll bear with it.”

  
“It’s only until you graduate. Now, can we please drop the subject?”

  
“Sure thing, my lord.”

She stuck out her tongue, knowing he hated to be called that and gave him a playful push, but was suddenly startled by the sound of a crack coming from the ladder.

  
“Someone’s here!” She whispered with eyes wide open.

  
She panicked, grasped in the direction of her belt to find that her sword still laid on the haystack and rushed over to get it. Being followed by Shadow, who also gathered his armor and sword and pulled her close to him. She looked at him in confusion.

  
“Trust me, I have a trick up my sleeve: Chaos Control.”

  
Having arrived at his house by teleportation caused by what Amy guessed was a high level sacred art spell, she heavily breathed out the tension in her body.

  
“That was amazing! How did you…What kind of spell was that?!”

  
“Plagues, Amy! Your cloak!”

  
“No, no, no!” she called out in despair.

  
She regained hope when Shadow pointed out this was an excellent occasion for her to use her special skill. He warped them back to the stables and hid somewhere, waiting for her to come back with the cloak. Amy turned invisible and entered the spurts of the ladder as quiet as possible. She quickly scanned the loft for the stranger. Her vision became more blurry when using her special skill, which was one of the downsides of it. She was in luck: there was no one around. The other must have left.

_There it was!_

She swiftly footed her way to the piece of clothing, grabbed it and turned around to leave. In the blink of an eye Amy regained visibility when a hand cupped her mouth from behind. Amy let out a muffled cry. The free hand of the stranger pushed her arms behind her back and fumbled the cloth around them.

  
“Surprise!”


	2. Sacred Arts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy has a surprise encounter with a stranger when she goes to pick up her cloak. She's taught a thing or two about the source of her special skills and the sacret arts and it doesn't work in Shadow's favour.

### Chapter 3 | Sacred Arts

  
“I’m going to remove my hand from your mouth on the count of three, but you’re not to make a sound! We wouldn’t want to draw any attention to us, now do we, lass?”

The stranger now held a dagger dangerously close to her throat. Amy felt the cold steel against her skin and didn’t dare exhale too deep, terrified it’d cut into her flesh. Unable to nod in agreement, she could only widen her eyes in good hopes the other understood.

“One… Two… Three.”

She felt the gloved fingers slide away from her now dry mouth. Automatically she gasped and panicked, the sharp lines of the dagger pressing into her throat with every shallow breath.

“Good girl. Now, let’s have a chat.” The other said.   
  
She stepped in to face her, still holding the dagger in place. Amy looked up in astonishment to a creature with a sensual vibe over her. Their manner of speech aligned with the smug grin on their face. She wore a dark coat with fabric that seemed to hug her body in a way that barely left anything to the imagination, her sharp shaped wings the only thing uncurved about her physique.

_How could she have missed her when she scanned the place?  
  
  
_

“Then talk!” Amy snarled.

She tried to keep her voice down. The woman pulled back the hood of her coat onto her shoulders, revealing her white skin and big ears. Her lips were full and her two sharp canine tooths drew Amy’s attention.

“Why so rushy? Oh, that’s right! You have to get back to your dorm in time so they won’t notice you’re gone. Imagine all the rumours you’d cause!”

“If you’re so worried about my reputation, you could let me go, you know?”

The bat suppressed her tendency to mockingly laugh in her face and shifted the dagger to her slightly press into Amy’s muzzle.

“You’re too naïve. Ah, where are my manners?! I haven’t introduced myself to you yet.”

“I’ve been wondering about your manners as well.” Amy angrily hissed at her.

“You don’t want to go down that road with me, dear.”  
  
Her voice turned dark and serious.  
  
“On the topic of manners: it is wildly indecent that a member from a low-rank family such as yourself is in a romantic relationship with a high-ranked knight, who happens to be your trainer as well.”  
  
A cocktail of frustration, fear and disgust roared inside her, sending tremors to her limbs. If she weren’t tied up, she’d teach this woman a lesson.  
  
“…And quite a passionate one I must say.”  
  
The bat lowered her eyelids and locked eyes with her, clearly trying to get under her skin. Amy felt her cheeks redden in both embarrassment and anger, feeling exposed and violated by how much this stranger knew about her and Shadow.  
  
“H-how much do you know?”  
  
“More than enough to offer you a deal.”  
  
“Let’s hear it.” Amy said unwillingly. She added scepticism to the tone in her voice.  
  
“Rouge!”  
  
Shadow rushed in without warning and knocked her over with force, taking both of the females by surprise. He pushed the bat down, one of his hands clenched around her neck, the other pointing out his magnificent sword at her. She struggled to escape his hold and failed, but still managed to cock a smile, unnerving Shadow and Amy.   
  
"So, you’re coming to save the day after all, my lord.”  
  
‘ _They seem to know each other_ ,’ Amy quietly muttered to herself.  
  
“Cut it out!” Shadow yelled angrily.  
  
He increased his grip on her.  
  
“Are you hurt?” Shadow asked his student.  
  
She shook her head at him, never been more relieved to see him. His courtesy towards her sent a rush of adrenaline to her chest. She watched how he confidently moved to master his opponent with his muscular arms. Amy loved how strong and masculine he was, but was suddenly alarmed when she saw this ‘Rouge’-woman seriously struggle to breathe.  
  
“H-hear me out, Shadow!”  
  
“You’re unreliable and corrupt to the core! Give me one reason why I would listen to you!”  
  
A series of coughs and a grated voice followed from her almost clenched shut throat in attempt to get him to listen to her. They turned into background sounds when his girlfriend called him to order, afraid he’d push it too far. The grip on her neck reduced at once, grasping both of her wrists instead now. Shadow then lost his balance when she suddenly disappeared underneath him and he tumbled unto the floor.  
  
  
_That darn bat with her endless number of spells!  
  
_  
  
“My, my. It seems you have forgotten how well I know my ways around the sacred arts there, knight.”  
  
Rising to already to lash at her again, he was dumbfounded when he turned around. His girl gasped and let out a high-pitched squeak, seeing how the dagger of the woman lightly scratched her neck. He sighed and lowered his sword.  
  
“Put it in the sheathe!” Rouge ordered.  
  
Reluctantly he obeyed.  
  
  
_How things could become this ugly in so little time?  
  
_  
  
“Talk.” He sneered at her, crossing his arms.  
  
“Here’s the deal: you two are going to help me out. I’ve had enough of being an outcast! My clan is on the edge of perishing. There’s not enough food, we’re poor and being used as a doormat, looked down upon and being abused way too long now!”  
  
“How is that our problem?”  
  
“I’ll tell you: It became your problem the minute your self-discipline failed you and ya couldn’t keep your hands of this one here.”  
  
Shadow’s eyes narrowed, disgusted by the way she portrayed him, but didn’t bother to go against it.  
  
“But of course, that all depends on how determined you are on keeping this a secret, Shadow.”  
  
“That’s dirty! You are just loving this, aren’t you?”  
  
“You think you know me so well! I wished I wouldn’t have to do this, but I have no choice. I have to find the gemstone!”  
  
“It’s always been about luxury and prestige with you. If you’d ask me, you got what you deserved.”  
  
“Well, I am in fact not asking you, so keep your rude opinion to yourself. This isn’t about jewellery! I’m at the point where I can’t even feed my children properly anymore!”  
  
His eyes widened in shock. He didn't know that she had kids now.  
  
“If I had simply asked for your assistance, you would’ve for sure rejected my request- that is IF you even were to hear me out in the first place. There’s no other way for me to get what I want but to blackmail you. Am I wrong?”  
  
Rouge’s bright blue orbs glistered even more brightly through the tears that filled her eyes. Amy couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for her.  
  
“Probably not.”  
  
He scratched the squills on his head in discomfort.  
  
“There’s someone who can help me and my clan to get out of this horrible situation. I need to bring him the infamous turquoise gemstone for his plans to work and the two of you are going to help me, seeing how you’re able to perform special skills and all…”  
  
Shadow seemed to understand what she was talking about.  
  
“What gemstone?”  
  
“Oh, you haven’t told her? This ought to be even more interesting than I thought.”  
  
“The special skill I performed earlier is only a sacred art spell. It’s no big deal.”  
  
Amy stated in confusion. She did not understand what was so special about it.  
  
“And what do you think is the source of the power allowing you to do so?”  
  
“I haven’t given it much thought actually.”  
  
“Well then, I’ll assume you are familiar with the legend of the gemstone that was used by greedy men with a thirst of power to let destruction befall our realm in the past. The one they tell you scary tales about in kindergarten, the one which’s tremendous power is a great taboo and the use of it a violation of the law.”  
  
Amy nodded.  
  
“That’s the one.”  
  
“That makes no sense! It’s supposed to be sealed away in a faraway kingdom. There’s no way _that_ could be the source of power providing us the magic of the sacred arts.”  
  
“That’s what they want you to believe.” Rouge pointed in the direction of the academy.  
  
“Wherever that blasted stone is located, its’ range of power has an enormous scale. Its’ influence reaches our realm, providing a mysterious power, a power all the sacred arts are based on. In fact, you’re not that different from me, a dark mage.”  
  
…  
  
“Especially him. He seems to know his way around spells I can’t even decode, let alone perform.”  
  
“Nonsense! Shadow would never use dark magic!”  
  
“It is in fact true, Amy.”  
  
Shadow heaved a sigh. He grunted and let out a soft curse under his breath, shifting his gaze away from Amy when he saw the painful look on her face. This was not the way he wanted her to find out about this.  
  
“And you didn’t bother to tell me?!”  
  
“I didn’t exactly have the time, now did I? Tonight’s the first time I have ever performed a sacred art spell around you. It’s complicated…”  
  
“I’m listening…”  
  
“As much as I’d love to listen to the two of you argue, the sun is about to rise. Once your secret is out, you’ll be useless to me.” Rouge interfered.  
  
Shadow and Amy shared a glance, silently admitting they did not have a choice but to help her. He unfolded his arms and held out his hand to the bat.  
  
“Wonderful! We’ll meet again here tonight an hour past curfew. Don’t be late.”  
  
Shadow ignored her, hating to be ordered around by anyone but Amy and long wishing for this nightmare to be over. He walked up to Amy and untied her to rub her sore hands, only shifting his gaze up to hers once. She kept eyeing him in a mad way and he knew that look on her face meant trouble for him.  
  
“Now warp her back to her dorm so she’ll be back in time, will ya?”  
  
“Just because we’ll be working together does NOT mean you are to interfere in our relationship. Stay out of it!”  
  
“Heh!” The bat cocked a self-complacent smile.  
  
“Relationship…Who would’ve thought?”  
  
She nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders in disbelief and closely walked past them to the ladder, briefly touching Amy’s shoulder.  
  
“You’re his weak spot, lass. The only one I could ever find,” Rouge whispered.  
  
The bat spread her wings and flew off into the distance, leaving a beaten, chagrined Shadow behind with an upset Amy. Shadows hopes on a calm, peaceful day evaporated like snow on a sunny day when he realized he yet had to spend the day practicing swordfights with her. Reading someone wasn’t one of his qualities, but her offended mood was so evidently present, there was no doubt he misunderstood this time. She brushed off the dust and straw, dressing herself in her cloak. Her arms were crossed and she boldy made him catch her gaze before she left, making him a wordless promise: she would not go easy on him.

_Fire and torments, this is not happening!_


	3. An Ancient Tale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forced to work with Rouge to help her find the infamous gemstone, Shadow and Amy start their research at the academy's library. Shadow finds a particular book that freaks him out- and with good reason.

### An Ancient Tale

'Three-hundred years ago in the prosperous district of South Island a foreign resident wandered through the woods and stumbled upon an extra-ordinary gemstone. It was cut like a diamond. Its’ colour a deep turquoise and its’ radiance ever so bright as it was charming. The resident, a greedy, unsatisfied soul and outsider for years, was overtaken by the beauty of the jewel and was soon drawn to the mystical powers of it.

The outsider was known to be intelligent and curious. When not strolling around the woods, where his self-built hut was, he’d be found at the borders of the central city in the district, searching the piles of garbage to find useful things. He gathered everything of worth to him in an old jute bag and dragged it back to his home. Then he’d tinker around, hoping for a ground-breaking invention that would make life easier on him. And exactly this would make him an outcast in the future.

The original residents of the South Island district found his way of thinking strange. His interest in the supernatural, the way he told tales about magic and his different point of view made him an outsider. It only got worse once he started building things from left-over parts of the garbage-piles. Many children were drawn to his hut in the woods out of innocent, curious interest to the man’s tinkering. They joyfully watched in awe how he created so many new things that went beyond their wildest dreams. The man enjoyed teaching the children and loved answering their honest questions.

With the enthusiasm of their children the parents were informed about the man’s activities. They grew worried and kept their children away from the man whom they now named ‘Robotnik’, after his built-from-scratch-inventions. These so-called ‘inventions’ in combination with his belief in magical powers felt like a threat to them. They were afraid of the unknown and so they banished him into the woods on the outskirts of the district.

Having meant no harm at all, he was poorly misunderstood. Discouraged and alone, he now entirely retreated to his hut in the woods. The stone caught his renewed interest and he dedicated his time to study it for a long time. Whilst his connection with the gemstone increased, so did his hatred towards the residents of the district that had excluded him. Unaware of it, the man’s negative emotions were fed by the power of the gemstone until he was so hungry for power that he was unable to think of anything else than domination.

The connection with this incredible jewel and the amount of time he’d spent studying it granted him the gift of magic. All the kinds of spells he learned, he’d write down in a book to memorize them. He became extremely skilled in these ‘sacred arts’ and combined them with his inventions. Finally, his goal became to one day rule the district and make everyone who’d ever turned their backs on him pay.

One day he knew the moment of his final revenge had dawned at last. With an army of self-built soldiers, driven by the power of the stone the man trotted onwards to the castle in the middle of the night. Gifted with the magic and power of his gemstone, he effortlessly bypassed the border of the Central City and invaded the main gate of the castle. The guards were shocked and overtaken to see an army of many, many monsters. They raised their swords, but were outmatched and fell.

The high order of knights were called to defend both their king and country. Tasked to draw back the monster-army, they engaged in a fierce battle until they were beyond exhaustion. Many of the brave knights had perished in this diabolical battle and surrender was inevitable. Even the last knights and their king and queen were slayed, for the man’s heart had hardened and he felt no redemption.

He took over the district and ruled with an iron first for years. The district suffered a horrible famine, the overall hygiene was poor and so were the residents. Their new ruler did not care about them and they became scared of the mysterious power that had brought destruction upon South Island. The man only cared about expanding his range of power and prepared his monster-army for a war with the closest district.

It was then that an unknown hero stepped forward in bravery, showing up out of nowhere. While everyone called it an act of suicide, he confidently, yet in a modest way, drew his sword to challenge the army. He chanted a strange spell and somehow connected with the gemstone’s power, but this time the power he was granted was driven by hope and justice. This outdrew the negative force of Robotnik and his army and he conquered them all, returning peace to the district.

Before vanishing as sudden as he had appeared, the unknown hero’s last act was to return the king’s daughter, whom had secretly remained hidden in the woods. The king’s daughter took back her dad’s crown and put the evil, corrupted outcast in jail to slowly rot and die until his time had come.

The now infamous gemstone was perceived a great threat to the planet. A strong, loyal family of echidnas were tasked by their new queen to hide it and guard it so that no one would ever granted this much power again. Until today no resident other than a designated member of the echidna family has seen the stone again.'

“Wow, this is really interesting! I never knew this was the background story of the spooky tales we were told in kindergarten when we were younger.”

A bewildered and excited Amy Rose closed the old, dusty book she just read, only to be scolded by the librarian.

“This book is really old, Amy! Be careful!”

Sitting next to Amy was Shadow. He calmly took the book from her and passed the book to the librarian, whom examined it to see if there was any damage to it. The two-tailed fox was very neat and careful about the many, many books surrounding him in the library. The red fabric of the cover already had frays and what once were folds had turned into cracks over time. Amy reached for another pile of books, now that the story of the gemstone and the hero had taken her interest.

The fox bit his lip, doubting whether he was too neurotic about the way one should treat books. He watched her scanning the books, running through their pages with her oily fingers and chewed his lip some more.

“All these women with their oils for their soft skins and all… Cleanse yourself properly before coming here…” Tails muttered almost inaudible.

Shadow heard him and suppressed a chuckle and grabbed a book himself. Meanwhile Amy rattled on about the story. Now that Amy and Shadow agreed to help out Rouge, they were preparing their search for the gemstone, starting with properly doing research about it. They had no clue where to start, so any information was welcome and there was no better place to start than at the library.

The couple had solved their problems during their training session a couple of days ago. Amy had poured her emotions into the practice and it had strengthened her in a way that had impressed Shadow. At first, he was simply overtaken by her fired-up fighting style, but was completely distracted later on by her powerful moves and momentum. She gladly took advantage of it and was able to corner him in the end. It was the first time she managed to beat him and it made him so proud.

“I had no clue there was so much information and so many stories about this. This is amazing! Thank you, Tails!”

She cheerfully looked up to the librarian, whose expression was hard to read.

“What’s wrong? You look horrible!”

“The books- your fingers- oils- damage…”

Tails spit out some random words and then caught a hold of himself to rephrase:

“You need to be careful with these books. Your oily fingers will cause damage to them. These are historic artefacts, Amy!”

“Well, excuse me for taking good care of myself.”

Amy snorted, but still agreed to wipe her hands at the towel he tossed her.

“Why the sudden interest in the subject anyway?”

“We can’t exactly tell you.”

“Hmmm.”

His curious gaze fixed on her and intensified from behind his glassed. The fox was a good friend of hers and she felt annoyed that she couldn’t be honest with him about this. She usually wasn’t one to lie and detected a little guilt towards him. Even more so because she had to hide that she was in a relationship with Shadow. Tails and Shadow got along fine as well. The librarian was consistent and reliable and the knight appreciated that about him.

“Why can’t you tell him you need it for your history class?” Shadow lied.

“I ehh… I don’t know. I guess I’m just a little silly at times for no reason.”

“Okay… If you so say so.”

She kicked Shadow under the table. He undisturbedly scrolled through some books and old documents on the pile on his side of the table. Tails frowned at Amy and then offered to tutor her, assuming the reason she didn’t want him to know was that she was bad at history. Even though she was a little offended by his offer, she accepted anyway, thinking he might be able to help them.

They were suddenly startled by Shadow, who pushed his chair away from the table and choked. He coughed and took a sip of the water Amy was handing him in another clay cup. Every academy-building had them. Amy thought of them as plain and boring. Shadow took a seat once he caught his breath again and apologized. Tails then agreed to meet Amy on their next day off for a study session and she and Shadow left.

“Can you meet me at my place tonight?” Shadow asked.

She could easier be spotted on the crowded square his home was located and doubted for a minute, but agreed to it after all because her curiosity got the best of her. He never invited her there because of the risk. At least she figured that was the reason. Maybe he finally planned a proper date for her, with candles and rose petals… She sighed, drooling over the romantic image she created in her mind.

When she successfully made it to his place, he opened the door for an invisible Amy, pretending to put a dead plant outside. Amy’s romantic date night-bubble burst when she found everything just… plain and normal. There was in fact one candle on the nightstand near his bed, but its’ tiny, flickering flame didn’t nearly provide enough of the romance she hoped for. He brought her the tea of her liking, sat down on the bed with her and leaned in on her to quickly kiss her on the cheek.

“Why did you want to meet up here tonight?”

He bent over and grabbed an old book from under his bed. The parts of the iron bedframe scoured against each other, making a high-pitched, scrunchy sound.

“I found this sketchbook this afternoon in the library and…”

Shadow paused. The words had to come a long way before he opened his mouth to speak again. Something was clearly bothering him.

“There’s something you should know.”

“What is it?”

He nervously played with the book in his lap and Amy feared the many possible reasons for his mood.

“The hero from the story we read today… There seems to be sketches of him in this book and… I thought you needed to see them.”

“Okay?”

“Because he looks a lot like, well… ehm… me.”

Shadow shoved the book onto her lap and Amy grabbed the candle to take a better look at the sketches. They were old and the lines had faded over time, but he was right. She looked up to Shadow and back to the book again and repeated that a few times in confusion. They did look alike. The images were vague so there was no telling for sure, but the resemblance still seemed unnervingly real. Her jade orbs fixed on the sketchbook again, thumbing through its’ pages with her gloved fingers.

“So… What are you trying to say? That you’re a historical hero who is thee-hundred years old?”

It sounded so strange when she said it out loud that she burst into laughter, but he remained silent.

“In a way, I am…”


	4. In Your Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having dropped a bomb of heavy information on her, Shadow struggles with explaining events from his past to Amy.

### In Your Past

The air was knocked out of Amy’s lungs by his statement and her skin paled, drawing long shadows over her usually cheerful face. Her head began to ache and she rubbed her forehead as if to rub to swirl of emotions inside her away. Shadow on the other hand crossed his arms and legs, a hint of sorrow playing his ruby eyes. Amy hunched her back and leaned on her hands, eyed Shadow and drew a breath. She intended to speak, but found no words. Instead she watched the light of the flickering candle cast constantly changing shadows on him, the warm tones of its’ flame contrasting with the now chilly atmosphere between them.

Unaware of it Shadow gritted his teeth in distress. At a total loss for words or the slightest idea how to behave in this situation, he chewed his lip and mildly pinched his arms. He couldn’t talk anymore. It was somehow beyond his control and he despised powerless it made him feel. His body froze and the longer the silence lasted, the further the words drifted away from him. Meanwhile his mind became a cacophony of tangled, blurry thoughts.

_I have to snap out of this!_

Shadow took a deep breath and closed his eyes, tracing the source of the messed up chaos energy in his body and changing it into a state of tranquillity again.

“Amy.”

The sudden renewed confidence in him broke not only the silence, but the seal between them as well. She couldn’t somehow deny his gaze and locked eyes with him, her eyes full of questions and expectations. He took her hands to cover them in his own. They were warmer than she’d expected.

“I cannot explain any of this to you.”

Amy frowned at him in annoyance and backed off to escape his hold, her eyes starting to blaze. A series of angry growls escaped her lips and she clenched fists. Her knuckles made a cracking sound from it.

“Please, oh please tell me you’re joking!”

He blinked twice, innocence and incomprehension written all over his face.

“I’m not. It would be a poor jest.”

“You can’t just drop this bomb on me, fall quiet and then not explain any of it!”

She was prepared for a whole lot of it, but this? – she thought to herself. As soon as the thought landed in the conscious part of her mind she labelled herself a fool, questioning what she did expect from him. She knew Shadow… Why did she keep getting so thrown off by his untactile behaviour? Blood rushed through her veins at high speed, causing a rustle in her ears. There it was again: the unwanted announcement of her bad temper. He’d soon have to deal with it if he didn’t make haste with properly explaining this… mess! At this rate, she still had control over her temper, but that could change in the blink of an eye.

“You’re not saying anything yourself either. Although, knowing you, I hardly believe you don’t have any questions. I’m not throwing that in your face, am I?”

“Well, can you blame me?!”

“A little, yeah. You carry your heart on your tongue. You always know what to say.”

“I don’t right now!”

“I don’t believe you. I think you’re trying to spare my feelings and I don’t care for it.”

“Oh no, Shadow. You’re NOT shifting YOUR responsibility to explain who you actually are to me.”

“I’m not.”

The pink female whirled around and caught his attention with her fierce turquoise orbs. The warm, yellowish tones of the dancing flame were fighting for precedence with the luminary aqua in her eyes. He could see her hands gesturing, signalling him her upset internal state in the blurry background of his view.

“Then talk.”

“I can’t.”

“Blast, Shadow! I can’t believe how incredibly rude you are to me! I’m your girlfriend! You’re keeping so many important things from me…I wonder how you in 300 darn years still achieve to be totally oblivious about how to act polite and chivalrous around a woman!”

“You should know me better than to mistake me for a soft, gooey fool who drops every aspect of his personality when with a woman. I might be a knight, but surely I’m not going to be your imaginary heroic boyfriend. Or always treat you like a queen when you’re being a huge pain in the ass, Amy. If that’s what you want, than better rethink your choices…”

Another of her romantic bubbles burst by another blunt statement, one he made her aware of she had it in the first place. Amy shifted her headstrong gaze to the red, green and blue-checked woolen blankets on the bed. Ignoring him, she distracted herself to follow the lines from the wrinkles on them with her fingers. The raw texture of the wool prickled through her gloves. It was a unpleasant feeling and she wondered how he was able to sleep under them.

“… Besides: I’m sharing my deepest secrets with you! Do you think that’s easy for me? What more could you possibly want?”

“I want you to explain who on Mobius you are!” she shouted.

“I want you to explain how it’s even possible to be that old? I wanna know what you are. A ghost? Some divine creature? And what about your strange, dark powers and the stone?! Did you have kids in the past? What does this all make you?!”

Both their ears fell back, the awkward silence became deafening on them. Amy’s eyes reddened from the upcoming tears and anger. She bit her lip and bravely fought against the waterworks. A few salty tears quietly dripped down her cheeks though. Amy battled the strong tendency to cry once more. She felt so hideous whenever she cried- and she did see herself cry before. She felt she looked awful and so she did her uttermost best to hide it- in comparison to when she was a young girl.

“What’s it make us? Just tell me.. something! ANYTHING will do!”

Her loud, hoarse voice cracked and she sniffed. Shadow’s hand squeezed and crinkled the blanket with force. He cursed under his breath.

“I KNOW, OKAY?! I know ANY words will do, but there are no words! NONE! They’re stuck! I don’t mean to be rude or inconsiderate of your feelings. Plagues! If anything, that’s what’s making me freeze up. I have no idea at all how to handle this!”

An upcoming sense of guilt sent a series of shivers down her spine. Her stupid pride and temper pushed him too far. A lump in her throat now accompanied the already present stress-related stomach aches.

“I don’t either… It’s scaring me.”

“That makes two of us.”

“Shadow, I don’t want to be the reason you’re holding back. And don’t tell me I’m not, because I know I am. Sorry about that. Just spill. I’ll learn to deal with it.”

“It’s not just that. I can’t verbalize all this.”

He concentrated on the chaos energy in his body once more, shards of them whirling around like a hive of bees. They seemed impossible to catch. His focus shifted to his irregular, high paced breathing and he breathed out some of the stress in his body. The shards immediately lowered their impossible-to-follow rhythm and he was finally able to catch some of them.

_I never lose my confidence._

With a certain determination Shadow grasped her gloved hands. They were tensely folded into fists. Their touch revealed the quivers they were both trying to control. Shadow suddenly scooped her onto his lap and then rose to carry her bridal style, all much to Amy’s confusion.

“However, I can show you.”

His signature self-sufficient smile now curved his lips.

“Come on, I’ll carry you. I know how much you love this romance-stuff and I am a knight after all.”

He blew out the candle, letting the darkness swallow them entirely before calling out the ‘Chaos control’. With this single chant he overcame the barrier of space and time. The darkness around them swiftly faded into a serene surrounding, filled with flowy, intertwining ruby, royal blue, shiny silver and regal gold ribbons of light.

They weightlessly soared through the pacifying, outstretching void. A sea of glowing orbs laid ahead of them and with confidence. Shadow commanded some of them to come closer, each carrying a memory. He let some fragments play out before her eyes to see for herself what happened in his past, for he was unable to tell her.

It was all there, right before Amy’s eyes: the mystery of what he was, his unknown origin and lonesome existence by surviving everyone he’d ever cared for in the past. He had roamed around the planet for years and years in order to keep his immortality a secret. There was also a set of painful memories in which he was fighting, on the run or hiding for the many different faces of danger. They were a tad blurry and she couldn’t quite capture the meaning of it. The memory of the unknown hero neared and she witnessed his amazing powers, bravery and strength. It replaced her unsettling state of being with much softer feelings, easing her temper away.

Amy smiled when concluded to herself that neither his physics or personality had seemed to change. The Shadow she knew now was as stubborn, blunt, socially awkward, dedicated, loyal and brave as in his past. Without having to verbalize he answered everything she wanted to know and more. Amy’s sweet, caring nature calmed her temper and she empathized with Shadow. She felt for the challenges his long life had brought upon him and pulled him into a deep, consoling hug.

“Shadow, I’m sorry I pushed you. I misjudged and jumped to the wrong conclusion.”

The scenery of his bedroom slowly faded in again and Shadow gently put her down. He lit the candle again. A shameful blush coloured his cheeks and played his eyes. His ears drooped backwards. Shadow felt like he was stripped to the bone.

“I know everyone thinks I excel in many things, but communicating my inner state isn’t one of them. It heaves me down whenever I… feel strongly about something. Actions speak louder than a thousand words to me.”

“Thank you for being honest with me, for showing me all this. I imagine it must’ve been hard on you. You seemed so lonesome all these years.”

Hiding his face in his hands, he stared without focal point in his gaze. Shadow broke down internally, forcefully biting the insides of his lips to prevent him from crying like an infant.

“You’ve seen it for yourself now. You’ve seen me fight…My past…It’s the most private thing that I carry with me.”

“You don’t have to carry this burden all by yourself.”

“You’re the very first to learn about it.”

“I already assumed I was, given your struggle to share it with me. I’m glad you told me.”

Amy smiled, trying to lighten up the mood again.

“It’s awful and humiliating to share. I even killed in the past. I can’t help but feel like a monster sometimes. It haunts me.”

“You’re a knight. There’s times where you’re left no other choice than to eliminate your enemies. If anything, you’re a hero, Shadow.”

“I’m not! You weren’t there! Y-you d-d-don’t…You don’t know…”

He whimpered almost inaudibly while his shaking body sank into her embrace. Amy petted his back and caressed his quills while he hid his face in her chest. She cupped his tear-stained muzzle and made him look her in the eye. When his red, bloodshot eyes met her aqua ones they showed the strong-minded, yet hopelessly emotional Amy Rose Shadow had fallen for.

“There’s still so much that I don’t understand, but my emotional compass tells me you’re reliable and trustworthy. I’d like to believe you must’ve had your reasons… Tell me whenever you’re ready.”

She let herself fall back on the bed and pulled Shadow onto her, snuggling up to him under the prickly woolen blankets. On any other night the knight would’ve protested and let his self-discipline never allow her to stay over, but they were exhausted. Shadow and Amy couldn’t battle their minds anymore and forgot about the possible consequences they’d have to deal with in the morning. It didn’t seem to matter anymore. None of it. Even though their minds were loaded with troubles, which usually would’ve kept them awake, it somehow did not tonight.


	5. Lead the Way!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shadow, Amy and Rouge begin their search for the gemstone after Amy thoroughly prepares their adventure with the help of her dear friend Tails. While on the road, Rouge opens up about surprising events from her past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pffft, this felt more like a puzzle than a story to me. Never have I dragged so many alineas up and down the page to fit everything into place. I also struggled with translations of figure of speach here. One of the downsides of writing in English for me... Even so, when I translated a small part of ch 1 into my native language, it felt both off and odd to me. Also: sorry about the lenght!
> 
> \- Like always: share your thoughts if you will and send me a note for annoying typo's or grammar mishaps. I'd really appreciate it!

### Chapter 5 | Lead the Way! 

It was still early and therefore dark on a cold February morning when a caped Shadow and a cloaked Amy silently prowled around the academy grounds. Crossing the main square once again to get to the outskirts of the district, a blanket of fresh snow softly crackled under their shoes. The snow covered the herringbone-laid brick on the streets and the lack of daylight gave the snow a blueish glow. _It sure has something enchanting_ -, Amy though to herself.

Treading lightly in attempt to make as little noise as possible, Amy exhaled in her already cold hands. The warm vapor of her breath felt nice on them for a brief moment, but they quickly grew even colder than before. She always wore gloves, but the her usual ones were thin and she forgot to put on her winter gloves this morning. Even when she’d placed them on the table next to the door, that was.  
  


  
Shadow wasn’t much affected by the cold. He’d wrapped his scarf around her neck and provided her one of his sweaters as well before they’d hit the road. It wasn’t hard to captivate his scent like this and it reminded Amy of the time she had had a secret crush on her trainer. Before every training session she used to ‘accidentally’ put her coat over his on the coat rack. It provided her coat with his masculine scent and she would secretly dwell in it afterwards. Back in the days it’d felt bittersweet to her because he wasn’t interested in her and she believed of them to have neither future or potential together.  
  
  


While walking in silence through the cold morning Amy wondered why they were walking in the first place. Now that she’d learnt about his special ‘chaos’ skills, he didn’t need to hide them any longer- from her that was. Shadow explained to her that using his special skills, like warping, cost a high amount of energy. With the gemstone Shadow liked to refer to as a ‘Chaos emerald’, believed to be far away from South Island, there already was little energy to begin with. The thought of wasting the precious energy for every little thing was to be unheard of to him and so they trothed onwards through the snow.  
  
  


The pink hedgehog researched every bit of information available about the tale yesterday. With the help of her dear friend Miles she collected a remarkable amount of notes on the subject when she left the library. Amy felt inspired and was eager to start this adventure, especially when the actual hero of the story was involved right here, right now. Still, she felt a little uneasy because she felt like some of her notes were missing. A couple of lines got stuck in her head and she couldn’t remember whether they were something she read or written down. Her mind drifted off and she went through yesterday’s events one more time:

* * *

“Plagues, Miles, loosen up!”

'Miles', which was Tails’ his actual name, handed his friend a paper towel to wipe her hands before diving into the historic tales together. According to Amy he took his duty of keeping the books in his library in the best condition possible way too serious. The fox had, uncharacteristic as it was, assertively told her: ‘ _my library, my rules_ ’.  
  


Amy did as she was asked and grasped a notebook from her bag. In a zealous way she penned down everything that seemed important for their search, making sure the lay-out of her notes looked like a summary for a test. She dug through the pile of books Tails had picked out for her. She chuckled when she saw the many small, coloured pieces of paper sticking out of their pages. She was lucky to have a friend like him, even when there actually was no test to prepare for.

Amy lost herself in the exciting facts she came to know. Tails busied himself with other things like speaking to visitors and organizing the books on the countless shelves. Aqueous sunlight shone through the tall, stained-glass windows, drawing long shadows every time someone passed by. The colours of the glass-paintings broke the light into more subtle beams. After an hour or so, Amy’s eyes grew tired from the pleasant warmth of the sun through the windows, slowing down her pace. She yawned and decided it was time for a break. Tails went out to the kitchen to make them some tea.

Amy wavered through the things she wrote down and contemplated about where to start searching for the gemstone. She fell back in her seat and fixed her gaze on the ceiling and was surprised to find wood-carved illustrations on some of the beams.

_The guardians of the jewel are echidnas_ … she quietly muttered.

Amy walked up to a bookcase and started looking for the letter ‘E’ until she found an informative book about Echidnas. She grabbed the book rushed through its’ pages. A map of their planet, portrayed on the next page showed the various locations of well-known echidna populations throughout the planet. She read out loud:

“‘ _Echidnas can live anywhere from mountainous peaks to deserts… They are able to cope with extreme weather…_ ’”  
  
  


Suddenly the door was swung open and a blue tornado-like wind whirled through the library, swirling up loose pieces of paper to spread them all over the place. A thumping of footfalls on the wooden floor accompanied this outburst of chaos before coming to a stop and bumping into the table because ‘it’ reduced its’ speed too late. Amy’s quills were blown into her face and she hurried back to the table. Her notes fluttered around and a well-known blue hedgehog laid clumsily spread across the table; Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic was a student like her, training to become a knight within the high order of knights like Shadow. He was Blaze’s student, who was a close friend of hers. It was a shame the cat had so little time to hang out, Amy thought when thinking about her friend. Sonic and Amy got along fine, but didn’t talk that often.

“Whoops… Hi Amy!”

“My notes! Sonic… look at the mess you’ve made!”

  
  
She impatiently tapped her foot at him, her hands planted on her sides.

“What are you waiting for? Go help me gather them!”

He jumped up and hastily grasped some notes. Amy collected some as well and snatched the untidy pile of the now crinkled pages out of Sonic’s hands.

* * *

Amy swallowed. Either Sonic or Tails could have found her missing pages.

_Well, can’t do much about it now, so I gotta let it go._

She shrugged the thought off and stepped forward into much more white than she expected and gasped when ice cold snow dripped into her boots.

“Right on time.”

Rouge waved at the two she could barely believe got together. Shadow’s breastplate reflected the fierce light from the now upcoming sun. Rouge squinted her eyes and covered them with her hands. She was clothed in a thick robe, matching gloves and boots and a purple, turtleneck-like scarf was wrapped around her neck.

“Tone it down, will ya? I’m already not too fond of being out in the sunlight.”

“Tough luck. Now, shall we?”  
  
  


He pointed to the east from where they were standing, to an entrance of a cave. The females nodded and the three of them footed their way to the foot of the mountain. Leaving the countless fir trees and the snow behind when entering the cave, Rouge couldn’t be more pleased. The climate in the cave was damp and warm, noticeably less cold than the outside air, much to her satisfaction. Amy used an easy sacred art spell to light the torch they brought and she stepped forward to lead the way.  
  
  


“I’m not complaining or anything, but why are we in this place?”

“The tale says that the stone is guarded by the designated echidna family. Echidnas like to dig.”

Rouge was already halfway through the breath she’d drawn to protest when she sensed something that cut off her opposition. Even though Amy’s starting point was built on a hasty conclusion, she might be right, Rouge thought to herself. Casting a spell under her breath, Rouge attempted to draw out chaos affected spores in the air. They showed her the amount of present chaos energy in her surroundings. Even when there were none to be found yet, Shadow caught on to the increasing activity of her sacred arts.

“Trust me. I’ve done plenty of research and I’ve got a real good feeling about this.”

“It’s a little too early to trust you already, _hun_.”

“For starters: don’t call me that.”

In the blink of an eye Amy drew her rapier and with a swift, yet threatening move she swung it towards Rouge, forcing her to a stop. The bat blinked before lowering her eyelids. Amy found it hard to name that expression. All she knew was she didn’t care for it. She felt mocked in a way. A grin spread across Shadow’s muzzle, a hint of that mocking expression Rouge had playing his eyes.  
  


“You don’t wanna mess with her, Rouge. Especially when she’s angry.”

“Second: I don’t think you have much of a choice but to trust us.” Amy said.

“ _Geez!_ Fine, I’ll drop the nickname if you insist.”  
  


“I do. By the way, I’ve been wondering: how’d you two meet?”

Amy hid her rapier in its’ sheathe again. Shadow and Rouge shared a glance, the flickering light of the torch casting a warm glow on their skin.

“Go ahead, tell her. I couldn’t care less.”

“Rouge used to be a member of the high order of knights. We worked together for a period of time. She was fired though because of a rather unfortunate incident.”

“Hmph! Coward! _‘Unfortunate incident’?!_ You don’t even dare to call me a thief, do ya?”

“Trust me, when it comes to being blunt, you’re outmatched, but unlike you I _don’t_ enjoy putting someone on the spot and talk trash.”

“Anyway…!”- Rouge snorted, ignored Shadow and increased the volume in her voice. “I endeavoured to steal some beautiful regal gems, got caught and have been an outcast ever since.”

“Why did you do that?” Amy asked her.

“I was pregnant and in need of money.”

“You had your loan, right? That should’ve been more than enough.” Shadow said in a crude way.

Without anyone being aware of it they had stopped walking. Rouge turned towards Shadow with crossed arms.

“You’re such an oblivious fool, Shadow! No knight in the high order can have kids while serving. They would’ve fired me either way. I was about to become a mother without a job and a roof above my head. Desperate times call for desperate measures! And on top of that: those jewels were absolutely gorgeous! It’s a shame I didn’t get my hands on them.”

Shadow’s ears fell back, gaze fixed on the ground by now. Even when she didn’t see his eyes, she read his shock from his posture.

“You … didn’t know?”

“Correct. The board clearly left out the pregnancy part when they explained your departure. How despicable.”

“That doesn’t surprise me at all. Let’s forget about it already.”

“That’s no way to treat a lady!” Amy hissed.

“I never even noticed you were pregnant at the time.”

“Again: not surprised. The Shadow _I_ knew was never the least bit interested in women or anything even slightly related to romance, sex or intimacy. That sure changed.” Rouge shifted her eyes to Amy, who smiled an awkward smile.

“I told you before: don’t interfere.”

“I’m not. Just saying it as it is.”

“And what’s that?”

“You’re in a relationship, for crying out loud! Believe you me, I’ve never had an interest in you like that. Though I couldn’t help but wonder who on the planet could ever manage to break down those sky high walls you’ve put up over the years. I haven’t seen you in ages, Shadow. To see this cute pink hedgehog beside you… I’m just surprised you know…”

Amy was unsure whether this was a compliment or if Rouge was belittling her, which was sure to be a mistake. She locked eyes with her lover, who simply shrugged and told her Rouge wasn’t wrong about her being cute.

“I have to admit I’m impressed, Amy. You even got him to defile his oath and break the rules he’s so hang up on to follow.”

“Let’s drop the subject and just keep walking, okay?” Shadow sneered.

While continuing their search, Amy asked about Rouge’s kids. Rouge unravelled they were twins; a boy and a girl who were at the age of 4 now. The bat seemed fine with her questions and so Amy asked everything she liked to know and didn’t hold back. The pregnancy had surprised the now mother of two at the time. Somehow the guy who knocked her up wasn’t around anymore and it was just her and her two little troublemakers, as she called them.

Gradually the atmosphere between the trio got a friendly note to it. Rouge even teased Shadow, setting him on edge by saying he didn’t need to worry about the kids being his. With aggravated frown and deadpanned expression he stated it was an unnecessary thing to say. He could feel her eyes bore into the back of his head and pictured the kind of grimace that surely curled her lips.

They hit a bifurcation from where the tunnel divided into two separate corridors. Rouge drew out the chaos spores in the air to determine which way to go. They looked like a turquoise equivalent of fireflies. They swirled around in the air for a moment and then concentrated on the left corridor. It was the first time Amy witnessed a visible form of chaos energy and she was mesmerised by it.

A self-complacent smile curved the full lips of the bat-woman when she passed by Amy, her curved hips swaying as she did so. She lead the way while following the swarm-like chaos spores. With every step they made into the corridor its’ amount increased like a silent promise they were on the right track. The trio, now filled with curiosity and excitement, picked up the pace and Rouge peeked around the corner. She abruptly came to a stop and gave a muffled cry.

“A dead end?!”

Rouge cursed out loud, addressing the spores like they were a person who’d betrayed her. The three looked up to the bolt of energy whizzing above their heads. Shadow tapped at his cheek with his index finger, clearly brooding over the possibilities.

“Maybe not."

Shadow stretched out his arms and absorbed the chaos energy from the spores to grasp the hands of the others next. At their touch a blue-greenish luminary flash gushed through them, increasing both their transparency and transcendence. He briefly informed them about his plan to jump through the ceiling, letting their chaos-affected bodily forms break the molecular structure of the rocks apart. The two women strongly disagreed with his plan. Feeling rather confident about this, he decided not to care about their opinions. He simply grabbed one of their arms and jumped up.

“This should work!”


End file.
